Apparatus for storing and retrieving compact disks

ABSTRACT

Apparatus for storing and retrieving compact disks affords facile screening of numerous disks to locate a desired disk by employing pouches or dividers having identification tabs situated along a circular periphery and misaligned with one another which allows the user to view many tabs simultaneously.

This application is based on and claims the benefit of U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 60/564488 filed on Apr. 23, 2004.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the storage and retrieval of compactdisks such as CD's and DVD's. These memory devices, which store vastamounts and disparate types of information, e.g. computer data, programsand files and entertainment subject matter, both audio and visual, havebecome pervasive. Accordingly, there has developed a cogent need forsystems to store and retrieve these devices. That need has beenaddressed by numerous systems of varying elegance and cost. The presentinvention provides a system which is simple in design to minimize cost,affords a convenient way for storing and retrieving quickly largenumbers of compact disks, allowing for expansion and protects the devicememory surface.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention comprises a plurality of flat two-sided poucheseach of which stores and protects an individual compact disk. Thepouches are arranged on a support means so that their sides are adjacentto one another and perpendicular to a linear axis of the support meansEach pouch has an upper portion which is visible to the user whenengaged with the support means and which has a circular periphery. Alongthat periphery is a tab for identifying the compact disk stored in thatpouch which is misaligned with the tabs of other pouches when viewedalong the linear axis. This allows the user to screen many tabssimultaneously to quickly find the desired pouch and its compact disk.The number of tabs simultaneously viewed is dependent on their width andthe length of the circular arc along which they extend. Once that lengthis exhausted, more pouches and their associated compact disks can beaccommodated by the support means, by replicating the foregoingarrangement.

In the preferred embodiment, the support means consists of two endmembers and two rods that perpendicularly extend therebetween toestablish the support means linear axis. Each of the pouches has twoslotted apertures in its lower portion for pressing the pouch onto therods to engage the support means.

In an alternative embodiment, a plurality of dividers bearing misalignedtabs may be used in lieu of the plurality of pouches to afford theconvenient screening process to locate a particular compact disk. Inthis case there is one divider per disk with the disks being stored inbetween the dividers. Of course, this embodiment does not provide thebenefit of protecting the disk memory surface as does the embodimentemploying the pouches.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of theinvention showing the support means.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a single pouch of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a plurality of pouches engaged with thesupport means of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is an end view of FIG. 3 displaying the tabular misalignmentfeature of the invention which affords the screening convenience.

FIG. 5 is a planar view depicting a pattern for making the pouch.

FIG. 6 is a planar view of the divider of the invention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective of the alternative embodiment showing thedividers engaged with the support means.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

As shown in FIG. 1, the invention comprises a support means 10 having apair of end members 12 and two rods 14 extending perpendicularlytherebetween through apertures 16. This defines a longitudinal axis 18for the support means 10.

As shown in FIG. 2, the pouch 20 of the invention is dual sided with oneside 22 having an upper portion 24 with a circular periphery and a tab26 along that periphery for identifying an individual compact disk 28 tobe stored in pouch 20. Side 22 of pouch 20 has a lower portion 30 whichcoincides with and is affixed to the second side 32 of pouch 20 (by glueper FIG. 5) to form a closed area for receiving the disk 28 storedtherein. Pouch 20 further has two apertures 34 connecting with slots 36which allow pouch 20 to be press fitted onto rods 14 for engaging (anddisengaging) pouch 20 with support means 10. Pouch 20 can be formed withany suitable material such as sturdy paper, cardboard, plastic, etc.

The tabular misalignment feature of the invention for allowing a user toeasily and quickly find a desired disk is depicted in FIGS. 3 and 4which are perspective and end views, respectively of the pouches 20engaged with the support means 10. Pouches 20 are arranged with theirplanar sides parallel to one another and perpendicular to longitudinalaxis 18, there being three groups of ten pouches having tabs 26(a)-26(j)similarly misaligned with one another. Thus, a user looking directly atthe planar view of FIG.4 would simultaneously see ten different tabs 26.And by looking at that view from an angle, the user could evensimultaneously see the thirty tabs 26 of all three groups. These numbersare illustrative since the number of tabs 26 per group is a function ofthe width of the tab and the length of the circular arc along which theyare borne.

As is apparent from FIG. 3, preferably end member 12 is free to movealong its longitudinal axis 18 which allows the groups of pouches 20 tobe shifted for easier viewing and supplemented with additional groupsfor expansion purposes. Of course, the pouches 20 are restricted fromrotating or laterally moving so as to maintain the tabular misalignmentfeature for easily finding and retrieving the desired pouch 20 and itscompact disk contents.

A unitary flat pattern 38 for forming the pouch 20 for simplefabrication is shown in FIG. 5. The pattern 38 has a score line 40 alongwhich it can be folded rendering second side 32 of the pouch 20coextensive with the lower portion 26 of its first side 22. Score line40 bisects two openings 42 in pattern 38 having an upper perimeter 44 inside 22 which matches a lower perimeter 46 in side 32 of pouch 20.Consequently, the upper and lower perimeters of each opening 42 overlapone another to form aperture 34 and slot 36 of pouch 20 when the pattern38 is folded along its score line 40. Sides 22 and 32 of pouch 20 areaffixed to one another to form a pocket for receiving a disk 20 by gluewhich is applied to speckled area 48 of pattern 38 before it is foldedalong score line 40. It should be noted that the boundary of area 48 isdesigned so that the movement of disk 28 is not hampered when insertedinto pouch 20.

An alternative embodiment for affording the tabular misalignment featureof the invention is depicted in FIGS. 6 and 7 wherein a divider 50 isused in lieu of pouch 20. This embodiment does not afford protection ofthe disk 28 memory surface, however, since each disk 28 resides betweena pair of dividers 50 while seated on rods 14 of support means 10.

It should be noted that the use of a circular periphery rather than alinear periphery for bearing the tabs 20 in both of the foregoingembodiments was selected not merely because it conforms to that of thestored disk 20, but rather to maximize the number of tabs 20 which canbe accommodated in a single group of tabs 20 for simultaneous viewingbefore supplementation by additional groups.

As is evident from the preferred embodiments of the invention presentedherein, the invention affords a facile means for storing and easilyfinding and retrieving compact disks. Undoubtedly, modifications to thepreferred embodiments may occur to those skilled in the art withoutdeparting from the invention itself. Consequently, these embodiments areillustrative of the invention whose scope is defined by the claimshereinbelow.

1) Apparatus for storing and retrieving compact disks, comprising: aplurality of dual sided pouches, each having an open upper portion forreceiving an individual disk and having a circular periphery in itsupper portion and a tab situated along the periphery for identifyingthat disk; support means having a longitudinal axis for engaging andpositioning said pouches adjacent to one another with their planarsurfaces perpendicular to said axis, and means for arranging andrestricting the movement of said pouches whereby their tabs aremisaligned when viewed along said longitudinal axis. 2) The apparatus ofclaim 1 wherein said support means comprises two end members and tworods which extend therebetween for engaging said pouches. 3) Theapparatus of claim 2 wherein each of said pouches has a lower portionwith two slotted apertures for press fitting said pouches onto said rodsto effect engagement therebetween. 4) The apparatus of claim 3 whereinthe lower portion of each of said pouches has three straight edgesperpendicular to one another and the two slotted apertures are locatedalong the edge between the other two. 5) Apparatus for storing andretrieving compact disks, comprising: a plurality of dividers, eachhaving a planar surface and an upper portion and a circular periphery inits upper portion and a tab situated along that periphery foridentifying an individual disk; support means having a longitudinal axisfor engaging and positioning said dividers adjacent to one another withtheir planar surfaces perpendicular to said axis, and means forarranging and restricting the movement of said dividers whereby theirtabs are misaligned when viewed along said longitudinal axis. 6) Theapparatus of claim 5 wherein said support means comprises two endmembers and two rods which extend therebetween for engaging saiddividers. 7) The apparatus of claim 6 wherein each of said dividers hasa lower portion with two slotted apertures for press fitting saiddividers onto said rods to effect engagement therebetween. 8) Theapparatus of claim 7 wherein the lower portion of each of said dividershas three straight edges perpendicular to one another and the twoslotted apertures are located along the edge between the other two. 9) Aplurality of dual sided pouches for storing and retrieving compactdisks, said pouches having the same peripheral configuration whichincludes a circular upper segment and a tab for identifying the storeddisk located along that circular segment wherein the tab of one pouch ismisaligned with the tabs of the other pouches when said pouches arecoextensively aligned with one another. 10) The plurality of dual sidedpouches of claim 9 wherein said pouches have a lower portion with twoslotted apertures for engaging a pair of parallel rods.